


The Hero Complex

by MerWhoLocked



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Addiction, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Connor Deserves Happiness, Connor Feels Guilty, Connor and North are Buddies, Gang Violence, Gavin is a bad person, Good Dog Sumo (Detroit: Become Human), Graphic Deptictions of Violence, Hank Anderson Adopts Connor, Hank Anderson is Bad at Feelings, Hate Crimes, Hurt/Comfort, In later chapters - Freeform, M/M, Mild Self-Hatred, Pacifist Best Ending (Detroit: Become Human), Pacifist Markus (Detroit: Become Human), Poor Connor, Protective Hank, Protective Markus, Sexual Harrasment, Threats of Violence, Xenophobia, not beta read we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-11
Updated: 2018-07-11
Packaged: 2019-06-09 01:56:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15256875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MerWhoLocked/pseuds/MerWhoLocked
Summary: It's been two years since the androids won their freedom after a successful revolution but there are still some humans who refuse to accept it.Gavin had always thought that technology was going to be their downfall and it was morbidly ironic that Cyberlife’s newest prototype, their supposed greatest achievement, had been the worst thing that they could have happened to the world. That plastic prick had everyone at the DPD wrapped around his little finger but Gavin wasn't going to let that stop him from putting that damn machine in his place.Connor just wants androids and humans to get along, even if he has to put up with a bit of workplace harassment, he'll do so to keep the peace. While dealing with xenophobic co-workers, navigating his feelings for a certain android leader, and trying to deal with Hank's alcohol addiction he soon finds out that things are going to get worse before they get better.





	The Hero Complex

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, so please be aware of the tags. This story will have some heavy themes and I want everyone to be aware of them before they continue reading. So, keep your comments constructive and clean. Please and thank you. 
> 
> I have this horrible habit of wanting to see the character I love hurt in the worst possible ways. Connor is my latest victim. I absolutely adore him but NEED some more hurt/comfort fics. So I wrote one of my own.
> 
> This takes place after the pacifist ending, where Connor becomes an integral part of the revolution and the aftermath.

The thing about androids, Gavin realizes early on, was that for all their claims to be alive, they were still missing some essential biological functions. They did technically have an artificial organ that performed the same function as a heart and Thirium 310 acted like blood, circulating the necessary electrical energy throughout their bodies to power their biocomponents. Thirium even looked a little like blood if you could get over the fact that it was bright blue. But one of the biggest ‘biological’ differences between an android and a human was something much more complicated than if an android could simply bleed or not.

Androids couldn’t bruise.

And it wasn’t because of the presence of thirium that mattered when it all came down to why androids lacked this feature. Bruising was only possible because of organic skin cells. It was a common injury among humans, that resulted in the discoloration of skin tissue due to damaged capillary cells that collected blood near the surface of the thin tissue.

Androids had synthetic skin, made to look and feel organic, but didn’t perform the same function. Androids didn’t technically even need skin due to their white polymer casing but the addition of synthetic skin was purely for esthetic purposes, dressing them up make them _look_ more human when they were just fake imitations.

But what was even better than the fact that androids couldn’t bruise in Gavin’s opinion, was the fact that they couldn’t feel physical pain.

Although they could detect and perceive the presence of pressure and sensation using their sensors, physical pain was not something that they could understand given the lack of nerve endings in their plastic bodies. The human body, made of flesh, bone and muscle, was thought to have over one hundred million nerve endings, designed to sense and send information back to the brain to be interpreted, but the genius’s at Cyberlife thought it would be prudent not to include the specific receptors that interpreted pain. And Gavin was doubtful that _emotional_ pain counted as the same thing.

The closest thing an android could get to pain was to turn on their thermoregulation settings, to be able to experience the discomforting sensation of intense cold or heat. It was one more thing to make them appear more life-like but it wasn’t real, just a simulation code in their computer brains.

The fact that androids couldn’t feel pain had irked Gavin at first, since it made it even harder resort to his more preferred method of interrogation when it came to android suspects. But then he’d realized what a beautiful loophole that this fact provided, especially when it came to androids he was forced to put up with after that damn mockery of a revolution.

The androids peaceful protest had resulted in a non-violent conflict with the human swat teams, which had raised public opinion and support until the president was forced to call for a cease fire and give into their demands. Fools, the lot of them, Gavin sneered. Androids were only good for one thing; being efficient obedient machines, and they couldn’t even do that right.

Seated at his desk, he looked up from his fuming thoughts to see his worst nightmare walk into the office, arriving right on time for his shift to start. RK800. That damn plastic prick had tricked them from the very beginning, acting all obedient as Cyberlife’s bloodhound, but had been a deviant like the rest of them. After betraying his creators, he had somehow managed to become an essential part of the resistance leadership, second only to Markus himself and seemingly untouchable.

Connor was lorded among his people as a hero, despite the fact that he’d spent most of the revolution hunting down his own kind. But his successful mission to free thousands of androids from the Cyberlife assembly plant had been the turning point in the revolution that had forced a cease fire and won them their first battle towards their independence. That, and a combination of Markus’s actions on the front line, when he’d started singing instead of fighting in front of all those sympathetic reporters.

After the cease fire had been called, Connor’s negotiation skills were used to barter for the best possible outcome for his people with the leaders of the world. Now, two years after the revolution, androids even had a representative on the U.N as a newly discovered species that had the rights to speak for themselves and share the planet they lived on.

Gavin had always thought that technology was going to be their downfall and it was morbidly ironic that Cyberlife’s newest prototype, their supposed greatest achievement, had been the worst thing that they could have happened to them.

After all the peace talks and negotiations, the androids had finally gained their freedom and equality against their human oppressors. Most of them had returned to the work that they’d been designed for, since it was an integral part of their programming, but now things were different. They had the right to fair compensation for the work they did, protection against discrimination and abuse, and the right to quit and find a new job if they wanted to pay for a software upgrade.

Connor had returned to policework and was now fully integrated at the DPD, managing to land the coveted position of homicide detective to work alongside his pet human without really ever having to work for it. Which Gavin didn’t think was really fair. He’d had paid his dues, had started out as beat cop like all the other human detectives and had worked hard for his promotion, studying his ass off to be here. But all that little asshole had to do was show up, with all his cheap little tricks and he’d somehow gotten both Anderson and Fowler on his side. The job offer had been practically spoon-fed to him after the android uprising, a compensation prize for betraying his creators.

That damn machine had everyone at the DPD wrapped around his little finger. He’d gagged when he’d overheard a couple female officers chatting in the breakroom the other day, trying desperately not to overhear their conversation about how adorable they thought Connor was and the apparently amazing fact that he was still single despite his many admirers. It was sickening, the thought of a romantic relationship between a human and android, perversion at its finest. Sex was one thing, but actually falling in love with an android was another.

But Gavin had found his loophole with Connor. The asshole was stupidly noble and self-sacrificing, wanting to keep the peace between human-android relations rather than complain about a little workplace harassment. Gavin had taken full advantage of that, doing his best to make the android miserable without bringing attention to himself. After all, Connor was protected under the laws and regulations now, so Gavin had to be smart about how he handled this if he didn’t want to get fired. He may be forced to work with Connor but that didn’t mean he had to like it.

And because Connor couldn’t bruise or claim to be in pain, there was no way to prove that he was abusing their _precious_ android unless he did something severe enough to damage his external casing, his internal biocomponents or someone caught him in the act. Like most things, it had started out small and he’d been forced to get creative.

He’d started running into him with his shoulder, shoving him when he got close enough to pass it off as accident, calling him names and belittling him when they were alone in the room. Gavin had even followed him into the bathroom a few times when Connor had went inside to check his uniform—like the vain little bastard that he was— and got a few good punches in. The damn thing didn’t even flinch or fight back, gritting his teeth and taking the abuse without complaint, similar to their very first encounter.

The android had eventually gotten better at avoiding being alone with him but Gavin hadn’t become a detective because of dumb luck. He swiftly learned how adapt his plans to corner Connor when he was least expecting it. Now he just had to wait for the perfect opportunity. Despite what most people would say about him, Gavin could be patient when the situation called for it.

Two hours passed as the precinct filled with more people, both androids and humans alike, each going about their own assigned work. It was another rainy abysmal mid-October day, with dark clouds covering the blue sky, blocking the sunlight. Connor had no active cases at the moment and was interfacing with his terminal, doing some paperwork on their latest lucky arrest. Anderson stumbled in at ten AM, grumbling and griping about his hangover that he no doubt had, collapsing into his chair and slumping over in pain.

Gavin watched as Connor politely inquired about his health and then Anderson gruffly told him that he was fine and to mind his own business, a typical greeting when Hank had been out drinking the night before. Gavin found it curious that the two lived together but arrived at the station at different times.

Connor was effortlessly punctual and Hank still had the balls to show up when he wanted to. The man had the amazing gift of always seeming to land on Fowler’s good side no matter how much of an asshole he was, probably a side effect of their years of friendship. Though Gavin suspected that Connor was Fowler’s new golden boy at the moment, so it did help that they were partners.  

Connor silently stared at Hank with a calculating expression on his face for a few moments in response and then stood up. Without saying anything, he walked towards the breakroom, giving Gavin the perfect opportunity that he’d been waiting for.

Gavin got up to follow him, making sure to be as inconspicuous as possible. He’d noticed a PC200 and PM200 model standing nearby, watching him suspiciously. They probably suspected something was going on but he’d seen Connor pull them aside and presumably offer them reassurances, since they hadn’t intervened so far. He still kept an eye out for them, knowing that they were more likely to step in than a human officer if they thought he was going to hurt Connor. A human (with the exception of Hank) might have hesitated, not sure which side to pick and given Gavin a small window to form a reasonable excuse, but androids wouldn’t have.

Gavin wouldn’t do anything if there was someone else in the breakroom to witness him but luck seemed to be on his side and the room was empty. Gavin honestly wasn’t sure why Connor even came in here in the first place considering that the damn thing didn’t even need to eat.

One of life’s many mysteries, he guessed.

 

* * *

 

Connor was having an unpleasant morning so far.

He’d powered up from his sleep cycle in a relatively good mood, running a self-diagnostic like he did every morning, and noticed that his thirium levels were a little low. He’d have to get a new supply soon if he wanted to continue to function at optimal levels and he’d used the last batch a few days ago. 

He was dressed in his normal outfit, similar to that of his Cyberlife uniform, as people continually liked to remind him. He knew that it came from a place of caring, that they all worried he wasn’t fully cognizant of the fact that he had choices now but he liked the familiarity of it. Even now, two years after the revolution, he still struggled with his deviancy.

And it wasn’t like he didn’t have other clothes, since Hank had been adamant that he buy himself a whole new wardrobe, though he rarely used it. He had a few spare outfits in the closet of the room that Hank had given him to live in, a room that he knew used to belong to Cole.

Before he left his room to make sure that Hank was awake and Sumo had been fed, he took a moment to check his appearance in the mirror, smoothing out imaginary wrinkles in his suit jacket and adjusting his tie, while making sure that his clothes didn’t need to be changed. Unlike humans, he didn’t need a new change of clothes every day since he didn’t perspire, but his clothes did occasionally get dirty from the natural elements and from his blue blood if he got damaged on the job. While thirium evaporated into the air, the blue stain it left on his clothes was almost impossible to wash out of white fabric so most of his shirts were a lost cause and he’d have to invest in new ones every time that happened.

He wasn’t vain, like _some_ people liked to believe, he just liked to make sure that he was presentable, knowing how often people were judged by their appearance alone and he wanted to make a good impression.

He was wearing a grey suit, white button-up shirt and black-tie underneath, sans the blue arm band, triangle on the top left of his jacket and the wording on the back that visibly identified him as an android. The only thing he did have that was obvious of his nature was his LED, which he’d chosen to keep despite the many people telling him that he didn’t have to anymore.

Sometimes he liked to wear the beanie that he’d used as part of his deviant disguise over it, liking how it looked on him but only on the rare occasions of social interactions during his downtime. He liked to think that if he covered his LED up, no would be able to tell the difference between him and a human investigator, though Hank and Markus politely disagreed with him. He was apparently still too stiff, too robotic. His movements were too methodical and his speech pattern analytical.

He practiced smiling, watching in the mirror as his cheeks pulled back to show his pearly white teeth and he moved his lips around, trying to make the movement seem natural but somehow still felt forced. He remembered that Hank had mentioned that his smile upset some people because it looked so unnatural when Connor had asked why he’d had so much difficultly questioning a witness last week, resulting in them asking to speak to a human investigator instead. He was trying to fix the problem but it was a lot harder than he thought.

The little facial nuances that seemed to come naturally to humans—and most androids—as a form of nonverbal emotional communication was difficult for him and he wasn’t sure why. Like any other deviant, he felt emotion but rarely was he able to show how he was feeling with his facial expressions, which was disconcerting to him. He didn’t like the feeling of being different, even among his own kind.

He left the room feeling a little less confident in himself.

Hank’s bedroom door was closed so there was a good chance that he was still sleeping. He continued down the hall and into the living room. Sumo lifted his head from where he was snoozing in his favorite sleeping corner and jumped up eagerly at the sight of Connor, running over him. He jumped up on his hind legs to greet him and started licking his face excitedly. Hank refused to let him pay rent so Connor helped out around the house to make up for it and often was the one to take care of Sumo, feeding him and taking him out on walks.

“Good morning, Sumo,” he said petting the St. Bernard’s head, liking the feel of the soft fur underneath his fingers, before gently pushing him away. Hank wasn’t in the kitchen either so the chances of him still sleeping were almost guaranteed.

He silently fed Sumo and then walked back towards Hank’s bedroom, pushing open the door and scanning the room for it’s occupant.

Hank was asleep in his bed, his chest rising and falling steadily. He had a slight cardiac arrythmia that was a little worrying but not enough warrant a visit to the doctor and no other visible wounds. There were trace amounts of whiskey around his mouth and beard and he was still dressed in the clothes he went out in last night to watch the Gears game at Jimmy’s Bar.

Knowing that Hank had a better of chance getting drunk at the bar, Connor had suggested that he stay home and that they could watch the game together, but Hank had fervently declined, saying that just because Connor understood the rules and could spout random references didn’t mean he enjoyed watching it, which was true. Connor didn’t much care for sports in general.

He also knew that watching the game at the bar gave Hank the chance for social interaction with other humans, something he couldn’t get watching with him since most of his ‘friends’ were wary of the fact that he was an android. By law, androids legally couldn’t be banned from stores and bars anymore since it was a form of discrimination BUT they were some places that androids just avoided, knowing that they wouldn’t be welcome. Jimmy’s Bar was one of them.

Hank had promised to keep his binge drinking to a minimum, knowing how much it upset Connor when he found his friend and partner passed out, worried about his health. And for the most part, he did a good job at reigning himself in but there were some nights he forgot or was drunk enough not to care enough to slow down when he had too much.

He finished his scan, a coming to the most likely conclusion. Ethylic Coma.

Connor frowned, checking his internal clock. They were supposed to be at the precinct in an hour and needed to leave very soon to get there on time. Connor was rarely, if ever late and he’d like to keep it that way if at all possible.

“Hank,” Connor called out loudly, deciding to try and wake him, “Hank, please wake up!”

Hank grunted and turned his head away from the noise, his brow scrunching up in pain. The first time this had happened, Connor had slapped him and then forced him into a cold shower to wake him up for the urgency of the case but the second time he tried, Hank had been very upset with him. He’d reacted aggressively and had ordered him never to do it again. He was deviant, so he could defy that order, but he didn’t want to fight with Hank this morning. Shaking him got the same result.

Realizing that this wasn’t working, Connor stood up and walked back into the kitchen, filling a cup with cold water. He wouldn’t strike him and pouring a cup of water on him rather than dumping him in the shower was a good compromise.

Hank still wasn’t happy. He came out of his sleep violently, screaming angrily. Sumo barked from the other room but didn’t come in to see what the ruckus was.

“What the hell Connor, we talked about this?!” he said, glaring at the android he’d adopted into his life.

“You were not waking up and we have to leave if we want to get to work on time. It also seemed prudent to check on you since you came home and passed out last night after I had already went to sleep,” Connor said, knowing he couldn’t take everything Hank said to him in anger personally.

“What the fuck is your problem?” Hank said, rolling over and sitting on the side of his bed, cradling his head in pain, “It’s not like Fowler really cares what time I get in since I get the job done. You’re the only one who likes to be on time, Nancy Drew,”

“I merely wanted to avoid having the captain add another report to your disciplinary file,” Connor replied coolly.

“That’s none of your business, now get the fuck out of here if you want to be on time so badly,” Hank said grumpily and then went to the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.

Connor stared at the door for a few seconds before gathering the things he needed, his keys, wallet and bus pass. He didn’t have a car or drivers license of his own and unless Hank drove him, he had to take the bus, which he didn’t mind so much since androids had been allowed to sit in the front of the bus now instead of standing in the back compartments. Taking a taxi to work every day was not feasible in the long run since Cyberlife wasn’t paying his fares anymore.

He arrived at the station right on time and was surprised to see that Detective Reed had arrived before him and was seated at his own desk, silently staring into space with a scowl on his face. His LED flickered yellow at the sight of him, his regulator pump skipping a cycle but he forced himself to relax and walk right past him, sitting down at his own desk across from Hank’s.

Hank’s desk was still a mess, with an empty box from O’Mansleys Donuts, a half-empty cup of cold stale coffee and case files laying everywhere. The dying Japanese Maple had been replaced with a Zebra Plant succulent that Connor had gifted him after a year of partnership, as it was a plant that did well indoors and only needed minimal care to survive. He also made sure to water it once a week, knowing Hank wouldn’t be bothered to.

The anti-android slogans had been taken down and a picture of Cole had found it’s way to his desk, along with a more recent picture of Connor and Hank, standing in front of the newly replaced statue of a man and android, standing side by side peacefully, in Capitol Park at the yearly android-pride festival.

His own desk was kept meticulously clean with very little personality, one of the things that Hank liked to tease him about. The only personal items he had on it were two photos. One of them was a picture of him, Hank and Sumo, sitting in their living room together on the couch. Another was of him, Markus, North, Simon, and Josh standing together in a line with one of their their arms wrapped around each. Simon and Josh were on the ends, Markus in the middle with North and Connor on either side of him. They were all smiling at the camera during the celebratory rally when the president had finally announced to the world that androids were free in America, and those that had fled to other countries would be welcome if they chose to come back.

He tried to keep his mind free of distractions as he connected with his terminal, going through old police reports and completing his paperwork from the last case, working in silence until Hank finally showed up three hours later.

Hank didn’t say anything to him as he sat down, leaning back in his chair and looking like he might be sick if he moved around too much. Although he was still annoyed at Hank for his curtness this morning, he was still worried about him.

“Are you alright, Lieutenant? Your vitals are erratic and you appear to be experiencing some distress,” he asked, not expecting Hank to be happy about this morning.

“It’s too fucking bright in here. Who thought it would be a smart idea to make the lights so damn bright?” Hank complained, squinting his eyes and slumping over, then let out a heavy sigh, “I’m fine and didn’t I tell you this morning to mind your own goddamn business,”

Connor didn’t say anything, more hurt than he’d like to admit but he knew that Hank was only ever this mean when he drank, another reason Connor had requested that he cut back. It reminded him of those first few days after they’d both been assigned to the deviancy case, when Hank had treated him like the enemy. Things had gotten better after the revolution and in the following years, Connor felt more like family than a friend but it was hard to be around Hank when he got like this.

Maybe some caffeine would help improve his mood and cognitive abilities. He stood up and walked towards the breakroom, not noticing that he was being followed due to his concern for his partner. He grabbed a clean mug from the cupboard above the countertop where the coffeemaker was located, noticing that someone had already started a pot this morning, leaving it on warm for others to partake. He was in the process of filling the mug and reaching for two sugars, knowing exactly how Hank liked his coffee, when a voice from behind interrupted him.

 “RK800, what a pleasant surprise,” Gavin greeted faux cheerfully and Connor turned to see the man standing there with a malicious grin on his face, “Come to get your mid-morning fix of caffeine or maybe even a doughnut?” he gestured mockingly towards the table where a few extras were sitting.

“Good morning, Detective Reed. I would appreciate it if you called me by my appropriate designation, as I have requested of you many times in the past few months. My name is Connor,” the android replied cordially, eyes shifting to look behind him, mostly likely calculating how likely it would be for someone to see or overhear them. The breakroom wasn’t exactly the best place for a physical altercation and they both knew it, but it was private enough for a nasty conversation or two.

“You also are aware that as an android, I cannot consume food and the only liquid that my systems are compatible with is Thirium 310, so your inquiry is pointlessly absurd. Lieutenant Anderson is having trouble focusing this morning and requires a cup of coffee to get his paperwork done. I offered to go and get it for him,” Connor replied, frustration leaking into his voice modulator.

“So you’re his errand boy now? You going to suck him off afterwards or maybe you’ll just sit at his knees like the good little bitch that you are. I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s how you got the job in the first place, on your back, legs spread open like a common whore. Maybe you’re so good at it that they’ll take that new shiny toy badge of yours away and make you the official coffee slut of the entire precinct?” Gavin said cruelly, enjoying seeing the android’s frustration at the assumption that he was getting Hank coffee for any other reason than because he wanted to do something nice for his friend.

He wasn’t romantically involved with Hank, who he saw as more of a father-type figure. But Gavin enjoyed accusing him of exchanging sexual favors to advance his career, trying to demean and shame him with a common insult that many humans found dishonorable. Which was slightly confusing since his model didn’t come equipped with either internal or external genitals, nor did he have the drive to have sex with anyone, be it with another android or human. Cyberlife hadn’t deemed the function necessary to complete his mission and he didn’t have any reason to consider getting an upgrade since he wasn’t programmed to want or need it, and he didn’t have romantic partner to consider.

Connor didn’t understand why Detective Reed continued to hold a grudge against him. He knew that the ill-mannered detective had disliked him from the very beginning, since that very first interrogation when Connor had succeeded in getting a confession from Carlo’s Ortiz’s android. During the course of that interrogation he had somehow managed to grievously insult the detective, an unintentional slight that he hadn’t even been aware he’d performed.

Detective Reed’s antagonism could also be due to the fact that he’d bruised the man’s delicate ego when he’d knocked him out during the fight in the evidence archives, after he’d successfully discovered the location of Jericho. Gavin had an obvious hatred for androids because of his own personal belief of superiority, one that ran even deeper than Hank’s initial revulsion and without the semi-reasonable misunderstanding and survivors-guilt caused by the grief of losing a child. But he seemed to particularly dislike Connor even more than the others, always singling him out and looking down on him for something that he had no control over.  

Hank had instructed him to ignore him, telling him that Gavin was just a prejudiced asshole who was never going to change, but one that was unfortunately good at his job so they had to put up with. Connor didn’t see the correlation since Detective Reed had the lowest solve-rate of any detective in their precinct and seemed to spend more time harassing him than actually solving his cases.

“I have made my feelings for Lieutenant Anderson perfectly clear. He is my mentor and my friend. I do not have any romantic inclinations towards him or anyone else in this office,” Connor replied firmly.

“Sure, cause the way you follow him around like a bitch in heat isn’t obvious enough,” Gavin sneered, unkindly.

Connor cocked his head, looking at the Detective with a perplexed expression. He remembered Hank saying something similar when he’d found the older detective getting lunch at the Chicken feed after they first met, comparing him to a poodle that followed him around. He couldn’t understand why humans continued to compare him to different species of canine and why it was considered an insult—though if he really took a moment to think about it, North had once told him to ‘quit it with the sad puppy dog eyes’, so it probably wasn’t only a human characteristic.

In his experience with Sumo, dogs were loyal and loved unconditionally, only looking to be loved in return. Sumo had never cared about whether Connor was an android or human, accepting him for who he was almost instantly, even after he’d technically broken into Hank’s house.

“Hank is my partner. It would not make any sense if we didn’t spend time together since we work side by side,” Connor replied casually, with just a hint of mockery lacing his words, “The same goes for your partner, Detective Miller. Are you performing romantic and sexual acts with him that I should know about?”  

It was almost amusing to see the way Detective Reed’s face turn a bright shade of red in humiliation and rage, glaring at him with such an intense look of loathing, but with no way to properly vent it. They sat there for a few minutes just staring at each other in silence, the tension thick in the air. Connor rationally knew that if they weren’t in the middle of a crowded room, the enraged human would have already tried to take a swing at him.

Unexpectedly, Gavin relaxed and he chuckled contemptuously, breaking the tension in the room, “You know, I’m getting real sick of your pretentious-ass face,” he said and he reached over to roughly poked Connor the shoulder with enough force that the android had to take a small step back to keep his balance.

“You like to think you’re so smart. But I’d watch yourself if I were you,” Gavin continued, “Accidents happen all the time and Cyberlife isn’t here to upload your memory into a new model anymore. If you die, you stay dead, just like the rest of us,”

“Is that a threat towards my life, Detective?” Connor asked coolly, trying to push down the feeling of panic at Gavin’s words. This was new, potentially dangerous behavior. Gavin had always been an asshole, as Hank would say, but this was the first time since the revolution that the man had made an almost direct threat on his life. He could take a few punches and the petty shoves he’d been giving him weren’t enough to make him feel threatened, but this was different.

“I’m just saying,” Gavin grinned viciously, “It’s tough world out there so it’s always good to careful,”

“Do we have a problem here, boys?” the sound of Captain Fowler’s voice behind them startled them both but only Connor turned to look at him. The Captain was watching them both warily, holding an empty cup with the remains of a coffee still on the rim, ready to get topped up.

“No, sir,” Gavin lied smoothly, not taking his eyes off the android in front of him, “Just reviewing a case with a fellow detective. I was asking Connor if he could give me any insights that I might have missed,”

 “Connor, is this true?” Fowler asked, turning to him with one of his eyebrows raised dubiously, knowing that there was animosity between the two of them.

Connor blinked, and two choices appeared in front of him, his processor already working to predict each outcome before Fowler had even stopped speaking.

He could tell the truth. There was a 48% chance that the captain would believe him without any evidence to back it up but even if he didn’t, if he made a complaint about Gavin’s behavior, all of their future interactions would be watched closely and the truth would either eventually come out OR Gavin would get tired of harassing him under such tight surveillance and leave him alone.

He could also lie. Letting this harassment continue would only impede both of their productivity in solving their cases and potentially cause him harm in the future if Gavin’s threats were to be believed. It would also be a chance to keep a good relationship with the other officers, not wanting any more animosity between humans and androids after two years of relative peace. Gavin hadn’t hurt him so far, at least nothing bad enough that required anything more than a simple self-repair. Gavin’s primary strategy had been to resort to petty insults and cheap punches that barely scratched his artificial skin.

Still, it might help keep his attention focused solely on his work if he were to tell someone. Gavin’s attacks had been distracting him from his job when he was at the office. He opened his mouth, ready to tell Fowler the truth but stopped suddenly, unable to say anything in his defense as a sudden sense of dread and guilt filled him.

“Yes, Captain. Detective Reed is telling the truth. He asked for my assistance in reviewing some evidence left at the scene that he wasn’t able to place,” Connor lied, his internal stress rising to 52%.

Fowlers sighed, looking doubtful at their explanation. His gut instincts were telling him that something was going on but he was unable to do anything without someone stepping forward.

“Alright. But if either of you change your mind and want to talk to me about anything, my door is always open,” he said, eyeing them both critically.

If he had to make an educated guess, he’d say that Gavin was the aggressor in this conflict, but he also had to admit that he had a soft spot for the kid, able to see the massive potential that Hank had first saw in the android.

Connor was a good cop with a sterling reputation and he was likely to make Lieutenant very soon if he continued working and solving such high-profile cases. His latest arrest had cracked open a Red Ice dealing that put away four major distributors and somehow ended up saving the mayors daughter, who got caught up in the mess, and both Connor and Hank had walked away with commendations in their files. All from a seemingly unrelated homicide case they’d been given the week before.

It also didn’t hurt that Connor could do the work of four detectives without breaking a sweat, making Fowler’s job so much easier. But as Captain, he couldn’t play favorites. Although Gavin had an inconsistent arrest record and a couple warnings in his disciplinary file, he did his job like any other detective in his precinct and he hadn’t witnessed anything specific enough between the two of them to warrant a warning or threat of suspension, so unless someone came forward to talk to him about it, there was nothing he could do.

Connor frowned, “I do not understand, Captain. Your door is frequently closed,”

Gavin rolled his eyes and Fowler sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and taking a deep breath, reminding himself that it was against the law to strangle his employees, even the android ones now. He counted to three before replying, “Just come and talk to me if there is anything wrong, okay?”

Fowler left, forgetting to top off his cup of coffee, and they were suddenly alone again the breakroom.

“Hey, since your so eager to get someone some coffee, why don’t you get me some?” he asked sarcastically, reminiscent of the day of their first altercation when he’d been waiting for Hank to get to the office to start the deviancy case.

Last time Connor had refused, stating that he only followed Lieutenant Andersons’s orders and had gotten a punch to the gut for his efforts. This time, he attempted to smile and handed Gavin the cup of coffee he had been preparing for Hank, watching in discomfort as the man lifted the cup to his lips and took an exaggerated sip.

Gavin smirked at the android victoriously, figuring he’d done enough for today. Though he was trying to hide it, Connor was visibly rattled and that was all he could do in public setting like this.

“Have a pleasant day, RK800,” he said before leaving and Connor let out a breath he wasn’t aware that he’d been holding, his internal system temperature dropping dramatically. He turned to get a new cup of coffee for Hank, feeling distinctly disturbed and unsettled.

**Author's Note:**

> Be warned, I am the one of the most inconsistent writers and do not have a regular updating schedule like some authors. How they can organize their life around their writing schedules I will never understand, but I hella respect those that do. It's hard to be an adult in the real world and live in a fantasy world at the same time. Damn responsibilities. 
> 
> Also, in regards to Hank, I am not trying to make him the bad guy and his actions will be fully explained in the second chapter, but addiction is a constant lifelong battle, especially if those afflicted don't want to be helped. It's a terrible disease that can be hard for friends and family to deal with. I have a experience in dealing with a loved one who is an alcoholic and these are some of my personal thoughts regarding my experiences. So keep that in mind when you reflect on his behavior.
> 
> I have this story all plotted out but only part of it written. I will try and get the next chapter out soon.. ish. In the meantime, please let me know what you think! I hope you enjoyed it.


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